The Supreme Court has set March 10 for the hearing of Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s appeal contesting his ousting as the National Secretary of the People Democratic Party (PDP), as announced yesterday.

The decision was made by a five-member panel led by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa during the ruling on Anyanwu’s motion for expedited consideration.

Last December, the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu upheld a High Court decision that sacked Samuel Anyanwu as PDP national secretary.

The lower court upheld Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive national secretary of the opposition party.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Ridwan Abdullahi, the Court of Appeal held that Anyanwu‘s appeal was incompetent and lacking in merit.

The appellate court held that the appellant violated the PDP constitution by laying claim to the national secretary position, having contested and picked as the party’s candidate in the 2024 governorship election in Imo State.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Anyanwu approached the apex court last month and asked the court to set aside the judgment of the two lower courts and recognise him as the authentic national secretary of the PDP.

He also filed a motion for accelerated hearing as well as an abridgment of time on grounds of the crucial role of the office of national secretary.

Delivering ruling in the motion, the Supreme Court  granted the relief sought and ordered service of the court processes on the respondent, Mr. Aniagu Emmanuel, who the court said, must file in his reply brief within three days of service.

Anyanwu, on the other hand was given two days to reply on point of law.

But the apex court did not hear Anyanwu’s motion for stay of execution of the judgment of the appellate court was not heard by the apex court.

Aspirants of PDP for the 2025 Anambra governorship election will pay N40 million for the nomination and expression of interest forms, the party has said.

Mr Umar Bature, the PDP National Organising Secretary to the party’s Chairman in Anambra, Mr Chidi Chidebe announced the fee in a letter was titled: “Release of Timetable and Schedule of Activities,” released on Tuesday.

He stated that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) had approved the timetable and schedule of activities for the upcoming governorship election in Anambra.

He also stated that the NWC pegged the nomination form at N35 million and expression of interest at Five million Naira.

“It is important to draw your attention to the new highlights according to the approved timetable.

“The fees for the nomination and expression of interest have been reviewed upward to reflect the current economic situation in the country. To this effect, please find below the current approved fees:

Three-man ad hoc delegate form N50,000; National delegate form-N150,000; expression of interest form five million Naira; and nomination form N35 million.

“However pursuant to the Constitution of our party, female aspirants and Persons Living with Disabilities are exempted from paying for nomination forms.

Also, youths below 40 years are to purchase expression of interest forms but with a 50 per cent discount on nomination form,” Bature stated.

According to Bature the sales of nomination and expression of interest forms will begin from Feb. 24 to March 5.

He also disclosed that the screening of aspirants would hold on March 11, ward congress March 20, local government area congresses – March 27 and party primaries on April 5.

Comrade Timothy Osadolor, the Deputy National Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed strong disapproval of Senator Adolphus Wabara, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, for his lavish praise of Abia Governor Alex Otti.

Osadolor believes that Wabara’s actions reflect a serious anti-party stance that justifies his expulsion from the party. He articulated his disappointment with both the youth and elder members of the PDP concerning Wabara’s ongoing admiration for the Labour Party Governor, asserting that the Abia chapter’s decision to suspend Wabara was appropriate.

Wabara was suspended last Tuesday due to his anti-party activities and once again lauded the Labour Party Governor on Sunday.

In October last year, the Abia chapter of PDP queried Wabara for endorsing Gov Otti with superlatives within five months of being in office.

Last Sunday,  Wabara stated no one can suspend him from the party for commending good governance, insisting that he would continue to appreciate Governor Otti for his contributions to Abia development.

On Sunday, at the International Conference Center, Umuahia, during the 80th birthday celebration of former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Godswill Emelike Okoro, Wabara acknowledged the visible progress in the state under Governor Otti’s leadership, adding, “even a blind man can see what is happening in Abia!”

Wabara, who jokingly said that they might now move from suspending to expelling him for speaking the truth, added: “Before becoming a PDP card-carrying member, before becoming an NRC card-carrying member in this state, I, Adolphus Nduneweh Wabara, was first and foremost a citizen of Abia.”

He further said Otti, whom some political stakeholders had opposed, is leading the state’s recovery from years of misgovernance.

But Osadolor emphasised that with the special significance of the PDP Board of Trustees as the ‘conscience of the Party’, wabara’s praise-singing is further hurting PDP’s prospects in Abia state.

The PDP Deputy Youth Leader said: “At any fora, he should be the one who champions the cause of PDP and markets it but rather, it has become his stock in trade to praise Alex Otti who belongs to another party, to high heavens because of what he is gaining from Governor Otti, forgetting that his party has a major stake in Abia state.

“After all, before Otti came in during the last elections, Abia state had always been ruled by PDP since 1999, so, one wonder why the swan song for Gov Otti is coming from, if not for his own personal reasons.

“The man (Wabara) has lost  locus to remain as chairman of PDP BoT, those who suspended him may as well expel him; he should not wait to be expelled or asked to leave, he should honourably leave now that he has found pleasure and gratuity in the works of Gov Alex Otti.

“As PDP BoT chairman, he was expected to be chairman in charge of the organ that is the conscience of the PDP, it is most unfortunate for him to be playing this role; it is an irresponsible act and the clear message that he has sent to the leadership and members of the PDP is that he doesn’t take his job too seriously.

“Nigerians know him for who he is; it is very unfortunate and at best, self-serving for him to do what he continues doing; even, members of the PDP BoT should summon Wabara, there is need to invite him to come and explain why he is doing things that bring us to public ridicule, with utterances that are so unbecoming.”